‘Today is D-Day’: Rescuers begin mission to extract Thai cave boys

A dangerous rescue mission to free 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach trapped inside a Thai cave for two weeks began today, authorities said, with the first survivor to possibly emerge 11 hours later.

Thirteen foreign divers and five members of Thailand's elite navy SEAL unit would attempt to bring the boys – some of whom are as young as 11 and not strong swimmers – through narrow, submerged passageways that claimed the life of a former Thai navy diver earlier this week.

“Today is D-Day, ” Narongsak Osottanakorn, head of the rescue mission, told reporters. “At 10 am today (0300 GMT) 13 foreign divers went in to extract the children along with 5 Thai navy SEALs”.

He said the first boys could emerge from the cave at around 9 pm local time (1400 GMT)

Police stand guard outside the Tham Luang cave complex after Thailand's government instructed members of the media to move out urgently, in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand, on July 8, 2018. Photo: Reuters

The rescue mission began after rainshowers soaked the Tham Luang Cave area in northern Chiang Rai province for the past 24 hours, heightening the risks in what the governor has called a “war with water and time” to save the team.

The boys, aged between 11 and 16, went missing with their 25-year-old coach after soccer practice on June 23, setting out to explore the cave complex near the border with Myanmar.

Read More

Weather.com forecast sustained thunderstorms lasting through Sunday and Monday, with further stormy weather expected for around the next two weeks.

Rescue workers take cover from the rain, outside Tham Luang cave complex, where 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach are trapped inside a flooded cave, in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand, on July 7, 2018. Photo: Reuters

Gong Hui, a Chinese diver involved in the operation that has drawn some 130 Thai and international divers, told Reuters on Saturday before the fresh rains that water levels in the cave had “receded a lot” after sustained pumping had removed millions of liters of water.

To escape, the children must dive through dark, narrow passageways sometimes no more than two-feet (0.6- meter) wide, that have challenged some of the world’s leading cave divers.

Thai divers gather before they enter to the Tham Luang cave, where 12 boys and their soccer coach are trapped, in the northern province of Chiang Rai, Thailand, on July 6, 2018. Photo: Reuters

A former member of Thailand's SEAL unit died during a dive on Thursday night, a grim turn in what began two weeks ago as an outing to celebrate the birthday of one of the boys.

Authorities have said it takes roughly 11 hours to do a round-trip from the cave entrance to where the boys are huddled on a muddy bank.

An Australian doctor who is part of Sunday's rescue mission checked the health of the boys on Saturday night and gave the all clear for the rescue to proceed.

Authorities said the rescue team included divers from "all around the world, mainly from Europe".

British divers Richard Stanton and John Volanthen discovered the boys on Monday. The BritishCave Rescue Council said earlier this week they were sending five "key cave rescuers" toThailand, some of whom were divers.

MUSK OFFERS MINI-SUB

Officials continued to explore other options to extract the team while the rescue effort was underway.

Rescuers drilled holes in the hills above the cave complex to seek alternative routes down into thecave.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk said on Twitter a team from his rocket company SpaceX in Los Angeles was building a mini-sub to help with the rescue.

"Got more great feedback from Thailand," Musk tweeted.

Got more great feedback from Thailand. Primary path is basically a tiny, kid-size submarine using the liquid oxygen transfer tube of Falcon rocket as hull. Light enough to be carried by 2 divers, small enough to get through narrow gaps. Extremely robust.

"Primary path is basically a tiny, kid-size submarine ... Light enough to be carried by 2 divers, small enough to get through narrow gaps. Extremely robust," he said, adding it would take eight hours to build and 17 hours to send to Thailand.

A team from a Musk company with drilling and exploration expertise was expected to reach thecave site on Sunday, Thailand's defence ministry said.